Sheet-feeding machine.



- R. 3.1!; A. KBMPBR;

SHEET FBBDHIG MACHINE. APPLIOATIOK FILED $83.4, 1910.

Patented N018, 1910.

3 BHEBTS'SEEET 1.

m: Hollis rtttu m. iulmcmlr, l c.

B. E. &. A. KEMPER. SHEET FEEDING MAUHIHB.

IYPLIOATIOH FILED APB..4, 1910.

Patented N0v.8,1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

W1 NE R. B. & A. KEMPER. SHEET FEEDING MACHINE.

. LYPLIOATIOK TIL-ED APB-4, 1910. 975,252,. i Patented Nov. 8, 1910.

3 SHEETS-BREE! 3.

$ 4 lzrl azvz oks m: nouns I!!! A IAIIIIQTDI. a. c.

I UM TED STAT 12S PATENT OFFICE.

SEEET-FEEDING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that we, Ronnar E. KEMPER Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 4, 1910.

Patented Nov. 8, 1910.

Serial No. 553,391.

trating our present invention follows closely the form. and arrangement of parts 111115- and ARTHUR Knm'nn, citizens of the United trated in our former patent above referred States residm at liensselacr 1n the count Y i to. and which ma be briefl' described as of Rensselaer and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improve- 1 ments in Sheet-Feeding Machines; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings which illustrate'the best form in which we have contemplated embodying our invention and said invention is fully disclosed in the following description and claims.

Referring to the said drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a machine for feeding sheets, etc. embodying our present invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudmal sectional view of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the mechanism for regulating automatlcally the advancement of the pile of sheets or other articles to the separating and feedlng devices. Fig. at is a similar view to Fig. 3 showing the parts in different positions. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the separating device.

Our present invention relates to niecha nism for automatically feeding sheets, etc, to a printing press or for other purposes, and is an improvement upon the machine which forms the subject matter of our former Letters Patent of the United States No. 903,386 granted to us Nov. 10, 1908 for improvements in sheet feeding machine, although our present invention is capable of use with other types of feeding devices than those specifically shown and described in the aforesaid patent.

Our present invention relates particularly to the mechanism of a feeding machine for sheets, etc., which advances the supply or pile of sheets, or other articles, which are to be separated, and fed singly by the separating and feeding mechanism, and consists in devices for automatically regulating the advancement of the supply or pile of articles to be fed, to insure a regular and uniform feed of the same, notwithstanding the "ariations in the thickness of said articles.

The embodiment of our invention which we have selected for the purposes of illus- 1 l i P follows.

i A represent the side frames of the machine, B the feed table, provided with an endless conveyer comprising separated bands I) carried by pulleys or drums b on shafts B, B of which B is the driving shaft, provided with a ratchet wheel 12 by means of which motion may be imparted to said shaft.

D is a continuously operating feed roller,

. carried by shaft (1, driven in this instance bv belt (1 passing over pulley (I on shaft (1, and pulley C on driving shaft C.

E is a movable pressure roller for engaging the separated sheets or articles and pressing them into frictional contact with the feed roller so as to draw them singly from the pile of sheets or articles. The roller E is carried on the end of an arm 0, pivotally mounted in the frame, in this instance loosely mounted on the rock shaft F, said arm being operated by a cam C on shaft C, which engages a friction roll 0 on arm c. Said arm a is provided with a spring 6 adjustably connected to an arm 0 for forcing the roller E toward the roller D, when such movement is permitted by the cam C The sheets of paper, or other articles (as cards. envclops, etc.) to be fed are fanned out in a well known way, as illustrated in the drawing; the pile of sheets is laid on the conveyor with the lowest sheet in advance of the remainder, and the sheets are moved forward until the said lowest sheet lies upon the continuously rotating feed roller D, the frictional contact of which with the flat sheet is not sufficient to move the sheet. 1

In order to feed the sheets, we provide means for separating the bottom sheet from the others, and for bending it around the feed roller D, and the separated sheet is then pressed upon the feed roller by the pressure roller E so as to cause it to be fed or drawn out from beneath the pile of to draw the separator arm It rearwardly to-Z-\=aiiced-to or slightly bevond the desired exbring the-separator agai nst. -t;he -edge i-the sheet to be fed, with a delicate pressure, and

is made adjustable to secure accuracy-t" operation. The rock shaft F is operated by an arm. havingia roll 7'' engaging a cam C on shaft C, to move the separator downwardly and is retracted by a spring f. One or more separatorsS may be employed, two 10 being here shown, and "to prevent the ser rated edge of the separator from dragging across the edges of the sheets on' the upward '"stroke, it is held out of engagement with the sheets on the backstroke by a blade or arm -1, which we term a ikick otf and which is carried on a rock shaft L operated by a F cam C on shaft C, by means ofwan arm I. M331 are a. pair of stationary locking jaws, and N, X are a pair of movable jaws coiiperating therewith for clamping the forwardly projecting sheets above the bottom. separated sheet, and holding V the pile of sheets against displacement while the bottom sheet is drawn out. The arms X. X are mounted on a rock shaft G operated at the proper time in. the cycle of operations b \1 a foam oii sha ft" (f ilhieliTenga 'a 'rll oiraii arni g secur d toithe i'ocli shafi (if Sam-area sheets be discharged,- inQaiijv? esired in tunnel, but in. the device} here illustrated are deposited hyiro ller ;.D upon a horizontal delivery coni eyeri coh- 'sisting' of endless bands '1", a mounted on rollers 1"? carried by shafts R; t, the shaft 'R being driven by belt 2* (or otherwise) from shaft- C. .e 3 T represents an idle shaft carrying rollers t? which rest upon the bands 1' rand assist in laying the separated sheets upon the delivery conveyer.

The parts as thus far described are all. -constructed, combined and operated, as set forthin our former patent above referred to z and as they do not in their specific form con-t stitute part of our present invention they will not be further described nor particularly claimed herein. i i w In feeding sheets or articles it is necessary that theforward feedingof the pile or supply' of articles should be advanced just snfiiciently so that the bottom sheet or artiggcle may be sepa 'ated or removed, and the pile may require-to be advanced more slowly or more rapidly according to the thickness of the articles, or the manner in which they are fanned out 1 before they are placed on a' the feeding conveyer or table. In order to accomplish this result, we provide means for 60 operatlng the conveyer and combine there with a delicately acting movable detector which is constructed to engage the top face. "ofthe second sheet from the bottom. (that is to say, the one immediately above the sheet which has? been separated from the pile) when the pile of sheets has been ad stw a dw r nt heinr h is ctfliug a mentof the pile, until after enough sheets "hare'beenremoved from the bottom to carry the leading edge of the sheet next the bot- 7o 3 tom "back of the path of the detector; when"- the movement ofthc pile is again resumed bythe feeding mechanism for the conveyer. and thus the accurate feeding forward of the stock is delicately, accurately and auto- 7.5 maticallyregulated at all times. "n; this end we have shown one of the stationary; clamping jaws H and its corresponding movable jaw X provided with registering apertures m. and n. 1 represents the detector whi h consists of a slender arm or finger secured to a rock shaft P mounted in theside frames." The finger or detector l is preferably secured to a collar 2, which is secured to shaft P by a set screw 3, to permit of securing the desired adjustment of the lingetzand the free end of the finger l is adapted to pass vertically through the registering apertures in the jaws M and X, when thesame are in closed position, providing the sheet next to tlie bot- M n5t-baitsustain are enough to lie or 1 theapertnie in th l iiijd j of said'jaw ST- V liile iii the drawings-"we hats-smart this detect oriii coiiiiection jwitlif one set: (arenapin nm w my 5nd pref erably, employ such detectoiivit h maxi" air of clamping jaws. t

On the side of the machine adjacent to th c ratchet wheel 5 on shaft B, the rock shaft 103 P is pr ivided with a two armed lever rig-' v idly secured thereto, the lowerarm 4 being provided with a pivoted pawl (i which en-,-' gages the ratchet wheel [1 \vl1ile the up wardly extending arm 5 carries a stud iii- 105 fric ion roll 7, adapted to e1ig:\ge"'c;t2nt5 mounted on the shaft C. This cani'lic provided with an actuating grade and a 130 ripheral portion 8 of gradually decreasing radius, extending from the outer eudof. the grade 8 to its inner end. Yielding means are provided for normally holding the friction roll 7 in engagement with the was? which consists inthis instance of a iveighted lever 10 secured to the rock shaft P.- t

The operation of the automatic mun-git: lating mechanism just described is as-m lows. When the'dev ice is in operation:and supposingthat the pile of sheets'ha'sfnot been advanced'to'o far, the'friction 111111 will remain in engagement 'with't'hc pcriph cry of the cam, and as it reaches the'lowest 1 portion "of thesurface 8". af th c foot of the; grade 8 the de tector or finger will-" jniss?" through the registering a pert ures" "m an d'fii in the jaws M and N; and thefurthei" vet-0:; lut io lrof th'cani'S will cause the grade- 8$ togive the arms and-4 theirfull stroke; and'thus caiise th pawl 6 to move the ratchet wheel the greatest distance to' whiclr as the case may be and simultaneously lift- -f ing the detector or finger 1 above the jaws M N. If, however. the sheets have been fed forward far enough to bring the sheet next above the bottom sheet (which is separated by the device S) far enough forward to lay itsmarginal portion in the path of the tinand arrest the movement of rock shaft 1 under the influence of the weighted lever 8, just sufficient to slightly lift and holdup the finger 1. but not enough to operate the pawl 6, except for a short distance, say one tooth or less than one tooth as the case may be, hence the feeding movement would be reduced, or no forward movement at all of the pile is effected according to the arrangement of the teeth of the ratchet and the normal throw of the pawl. At the next cycle of the machine, the sheet which arrested the detector being now the bottom sheet, is removed by the separating and feeding mechanism, and if the next succeeding sheet is far enough back to permit the detector finger to pass through the apertures an, n in the jaws M. and N. the normal forward feed of the pile of sheets is resumed. It will thus be seen that the device is automatic and should the sheets be advanced too rapidly at any time the feeding is either interrupted, or the extent of the feeding movement reduced. until the proper relation of the pile is again secured.

It will be obvious that our invention can be used with other forms of separating and feeding devices than those herein shown and described, and it is our desire to claim the invention in all relations in which it can be advantageously employed.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a feedingdevicc for sheets and like articles, the combination with a horizontally disposed conveyor, for supporting the articlcs in a fanned out condition, means for separating and feeding the bottom article, and clamping devices for holding the remaining articles from movement while the bottom article is drawn out, of actuating mechanism for said conveyer, including a continuously operating cam. pawl and ratchet mechanism operatively connected with said conveyer and having an actuating partfor engaging said cam, a yielding device for normally holding said actuating part in engagement with said cam, and a detector finger rigidly connected to said actuating part. for determining its position in respect to the actuating grade of said cam,

and movable transversely across the plane of the conveyer.

2. In a feeding device for sheets and like articles. the combination with a horizontally disposed conveyor-for supporting the arti cles in a fanned out condition, means for separating and feeding the bottom article,

v and clamping devices for holding the reger 1, then as the finger or detector descends, 1t will strike the sheet, as shown in Fig. 4.

maining articles from movement while the bottom article is drawn out. of actuating mechanism for said convcyer including an actuating cam, a rock-shaft, arms connected with said rock-shaft, carrying, the one an actuating part for engaging said cam. and the other a pawl, a ratchet wheel for said pawl, operatively connected with said conveyer, a detector finger connected with said rockshaft and having a part having a normal movement across the plane of the conveyer, and yielding means for normally holding said actuating part in engagement with said actuating cam.

3. In a feeding device for sheets and like articles. the combination with a. horizontally disposed conveyer, for supporting the articles in a fanned out condition. means for separating and feeding the bottom article, and clamping devices for holding the remaining articles from movement, provided with registering orifices, of actuating lnec anism for said conveyer including an actuating cam, a rock shaft, arms connected wit-h said rock shaft carrying the one, an actuating part to engage said cam, and the other a pawl, a ratchet wheel for said pawl, operatively connected with the said conveyer, a detector finger operatively connected with said rock shaft and having a part adapted to normally pass through the apertures in said clamping jaws, and yielding means for normally holding said actuating part in engagement with said actuating cam.

4-. In a feeding device for sheets and like articles, the combination with a horizontally disposed conveyer, an actuating part for said conveyor provided with ratchetteeth, means for separating the forward edge of the bottom article, means for engaging and feeding the bottom article, means for holding the remaining articles against movement on the conveyer, a continuously rotating cam for operating said conveyer actuating part, a pivotally mounted partfor engaging said cam, a pawl connected therewith for engaging the said actuating part and an oscillating detector finger located adjacent to the delivery end of said conveyor, rigidly connected with said pivotally mounted part and movable therewith, said detector finger being capable of swinging across the plane of the conveyer.

5. In a feeding device for sheets and like articles, the combination with a horizontally disposed conveyer, an actuating part for said conveyer provided with ratchet teeth,

fol:-rsepartrtingcthe-fbrward 31f; the bottom article, means for engagingandf feeding.- the :bottoni article, :InansI tor'holding th'e remainingarticles against movement- 5-onYthe convey'er," a continuously-rotating can'i' for. operatingsaid 'conveyer' actuating part, a rock-shaft adjacentto' the delivery end of the conveyrfa'n'oscillating part secured thereto and provided with a cam engaging rpart for engaging said continuously operat-' mg cain, and'a pawl for engaging said ratchetteethgan oscillating detector fingersecured rigidly. to'the said rock shaft, and capable of moving. transversely across the plane'ofsaid 'conveyer, andyielding means connected with said rock shaft' for normally holding said cam engaging part n engagement'with the'cain.

6; In a feeding device for sheets and like articles, the combination with a horizontally disposed conveyer, J for supporting the articles in a fanned out condition, of feed-' ing devices for delivering sheets singly located adjacent theretofa separating device i provided with serrated portions; means for' drawing 'said" separating device across the: edgeof th'e'b' ottom sheet on"the"conveyer,"in' adownward: d'rrectionftdhendsaid sheet intppositipn'tdhewngaged bysaid feeding" including a'eontiniionslypperated cam-and" pa WI and ratchet: *niechanism'fnaving a mforen'gaging said cain,'and a detector finger rigidly connected to 'thecam engaging part ''of the" pawl and ratchet mechanism, and

movable" therewith, and having a portion capable: of movement-across therplane hi the" coni'eyer :atrth'edeliitery r e'nd of r same, to? determine the throw xii-the pawl'nnd ratchet mechanism, and yieldingmeans for nor 40 mally l1olding' the imwl and ratchet inecha-' nisni in operative-relation vith said cam so' as to receive the full throw thereof.

7. In a feeding device for sheets and like articles, the combination with a horizontally disposed c'onveyer, a feed'roller-adjacent to' the delivery end of said conveyer, and belowthe plane thereof, a pressure device cooperating with and movable toward and from said feed roller, a-separating-device, 'ineans'for 5o reciprocating the same across the edge of f the bottom sheet, a ratchet wheel operativelyconnected with said 'convcyer, a continuously operating cam for actuating said conveyer, a rock shaft extending above the plane of said conveyer, an oscillating part connected with i said rock shaft having a part to engage said cama pawl for engaging said ratchet connected to said oscillating part, a yielding device for normally holding the cam engagingpart in' engagement therewith, and a de-' tector' 'iinger----connected rigidly with said rock shaftand extending downwardly there--- frbm the-plane of -the conveyerb V "RICHARD Mjcoznis', f 

